The Legislative Branch

What is public Policy?

Public Policy is a government solution to a public problem. For example, how did the government agencies deal with the issue of Zika in this country? Or how did the government respond to the problem of illegal immigration? Recently, we have talked about issues like the government responding to the issue of gun control or ISIS and Islamophobia. The solutions that the government and government agencies can up with are examples of public policies. Sometimes laws are changed because of public policy but other times an agency might just get another job to manage in the federal bureaucracy. Keep in mind while you read about public policy that these new laws are a response to public opinion which can be influenced by the groups discussed below.

Media Influence on Public PolicyThemedia has a large effect on how we as individual feel about certain issues and how lawmakers look to solve problems. The media can influence the public policies byfocusing public attention on selected issueswith campaign coverage, interviews, and public service announcements.They can do this by using information on candidates and voting records by radio, television, newspaper, magazines, and the internet. The media also offers a forum in which opposing viewpoints are communicated or they can interview public officials. And lastly, the media hold government officials accountable to the public by using the “Watchdog” function. A “﻿Watchdog﻿” is a journalist that wants to expose government waste or corruption. Government officials use the media to communicate with the public about public policies.

​Individuals and Interest Groups Influence on Public PolicyTo “lobby” is to try to get government officials to support a group’s goals. Lobbyists are the people that lobby, or attempt to influence government officials decisions. They try to influence legislators to introduce or vote for or against a bill. An individual can be a lobbyist and write, call, or meet with their representative to sway their opinion. Or, a business can hire lobbyists to represent them and fight for their opinions about laws that will effect their business.

Ways Individuals Influence Public PolicyIndividuals can participate in politics by expressing opinions by joining interest groups. A common way that individuals do is this by contacting government officials through letters, emails, and phone calls.

Ways Interest Groups Influence Public PolicyInterest groups can influence public policy by identifying certain issues and making those issues known to the public. Interest groups can also make political contributions to candidates or parties that they think will represent their ideas in office. Lastly, interest groups can lobby government officials which can be more effective in a large group than an individual doing it alone.

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International Issues That Influence Public Policy and Government ActionInternational issues can effect public policy in a couple big ways. For example, if there is a large public health concern in the event of a pandemic then lawmakers, the media, and individuals may feel that a law needs to be put into effect to help protect people from getting sick (think Ebola and Swine Flu). Another example are economic development policies in response to the emerging global economy. We might be more open to trading with certain countries then other countries because of how the public feels about a countries governmental policies. An example that has certainly influence public policy in the last 15 years is public safety in the event of an act of terrorism. Laws are made to fix security issues both at major travel locations and online because of the threat of terrorism. After the attacks on Paris, many people have changed their opinions about whether we should use troops to fight ISIS or even allow immigrants for Syria into our country. As people have concerns for our safety after terrorism attacks, our public policy (or public opinion) about the issue changes. Lastly, policies to protect the environment (ex. Wildlife protection) can be put into effect if there is a major environmental concern. One example of this at the local level are manatee protection areas in Florida where boats are not allowed to use propellers to keep the manatees safe. These CNN StudentNews episodes (Episode 1Episode 2) highlights some of international issues that have affect public policy over the past 35 years.

After reading about public policy and watching the Crash Course, please go to this GoogleForm and complete it for a classwork grade. You can use your notes to complete the GoogleForm.

The National Legislative Branch

The National Legislative Branchis called Congress. Congress is a bicameral legislature because it is made up of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 members (2 Senators from each State) and the House of Representatives has 435 members (Number of representatives is based on population, ex. North Dakota has 1, Virginia has 11, and California has 53).

The powers of the National Legislative Branch are:

Makes the law for the nation - Congress makes national laws that will effect the whole country.

Approves the annual (yearly) budget - While the President prepares the annual budget, the Congress must approve it for the budget to be put into place. Last year, because the majority of Congress and the President did not agree on the budget, we had a time where the government was shut down.

Confirms presidential appointments - The President appoints people into government positions, but Congress must approve those appointments. For example, all the Cabinet positions are appointed and must be approved by Congress before those people can take on their new jobs.

Raises revenue through taxes and other levies - Congress can set the rate of taxes. They have this power because of the 16th Amendment.

﻿R﻿egulates Interstate and Foreign Trade - Congress gets to make decisions on how states will trade with each other and how the United States will trade with other countries. For example, when the United States signed an agreement to put NAFTA into place, it had to be approved by Congress. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) allows for easier and cheaper trade between the countries in North America.

Declares War - Only Congress has the power to declare war with another country. While the President might appeal to Congress and ask them to declare war, the President cannot declare war.

How a bill becomes a law

The Steps to Pass a Law (National Legislative Branch)

The bill is introduced by a Senator or Representative

The Congressmen work in committees to discuss and change the bill

The bill isdebated on the floor of both house (House of Representatives & Senate)

The bill goes to a vote in each house (House of Representatives & Senate)

The bill is sent to the president to sign

The president may approve (sign) or not approve (veto) the bill

There are certain things that can influence the lawmaking process. Some of those include elected officials writing laws and taking action in response to problems or issues that they recognize in the state or individuals and interest groups helping shape legislation through contacting their government officials. Individual citizens are important because they can be directly involved or involved through simulations. But, the formal powers of Congress are limited by the Constitution of the United States so they cannot just make laws about anything.

How does the executive branch (the President) influence this process?

The President can propose legislation in an annual speech to Congress called the State of the Union Address. In this yearly address, the President lays out the issues he would like Congress to address in the coming year.

The President can appeal directly to the people by giving a speech asking for the citizen's help.

The President can approve or veto legislation which can speed up or slow down the lawmaking process.

The President can appoint officials who carry out the laws, which may include officials that view the law the same way the president does.

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